Best way to plant trees so that they're easy to dig up when the time comes?

[sheepdawg]

Hi all,

I've recently put together two big raised beds that I'm going to use to grow various plants over the years. I've ground-grown stuff before and I hate digging time because it's such a physical effort haha.

So, how can I plant my plants so that they're easy to dig up eventually?

Thanks

[melbrackstone]

I've had success using straw bales to give trees a boost.

Do a browser search for "straw bale gardening" and you'll see what needs to be done.

I put trees in colanders on top of the bales after they'd been conditioned, and they go crazy growing into the bale, but they're easy to lift when the time comes. When the bales have completely collapsed, you have great mulch for other beds, and you start the process again with fresh bales. I usually start the bales conditioning in early June, and place them where they get the best sunlight for as long as possible during Winter and Spring. Summer heat will accelerate the bale's deterioration, and by early Autumn you can generally start lifting the trees and root pruning.

I have only done this with very hardy trees like Trident Maples, Chinese Elms, and Callistemons, but if you want to time the bales so that you lift the trees in early Spring, you can start the bales in Summer. (Taking into account your climate might mean the bales last longer than they do here in Brisbane.)

[robb63]

I've ground-grown stuff before and I hate digging time because it's such a physical effort haha.

An old Bonsai grower once told me,
"Sunny no pain no gain", I didn't believe him back then but today I do

[shibui]

Colanders or similar containers should make removing the plants easy because only thin roots can grow out of the container into the bed and thin roots are easier to cut.
I just dig my quick growing ground grown trees like trident maples every year. Again because the roots have not grown too thick so they are easier to cut with the shovel or spade. Slower growers like juniper and pine can be left for a few years because they grow slower so they take longer to get thick and so do the roots.
Some growers plnt trees on top of some sort of flat object - tile, board, etc - so that down roots don't get a chance to grow deep and thick. That should make them easier to dig eventually and give a shallow root system. I have not bothered to do this because proper, regular root pruning achieves a similar result and better root system.